HC clears public screening of Swami Vivekananda

The Delhi high court cleared the public screening of Swami Vivekananda after the producer and director of
the film agreed for certain cuts and addition of a clip stating that
the movie was the dramatised version of the life of Swami
Vivekananda.

Justice Anil Dev Singh in a recent order disposed of the petition
filed by the Vivekananda Welfare Society, questioning certain portions of the movie, after producer T Subbirama Reddy and director G V Iyer struck an agreement with the society.

The petitioner, represented by advocate Krishna Kumar Shukla, had
challenged the legality and validity of the actions of the ministry
of information and broadcasting and the director, Delhi Doordarshan
for granting a certificate to the film under Sections 5A
of the Cinematography Act, 1952.

The court order said the producer and the director have agreed to
display a clip in the beginning and at the end of the film stating
that the story was a dramatised version of the life of Swami
Vivekananda based on the director's interpretation.

The clip will further state that certain portions of the film do
not have the approval of the society as according to them it does
not depict the true life of Swami Vivekananda. 'The Society does
not agree with the respondents that Swamiji had quoted two shlokas from the Bhagwad Gita at the World Parliament of Religion, Chicago. What actually was said by Swamiji in Sanskrit has not been quoted,' the petition said.

It was also agreed that the scene depicting 'Maa Sharda' crying
after the death of Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa shall be deleted.

The society had also challenged the granting of a certificate by
the Censor Board saying it was illegal and arbitrary and
should have been done after ascertaining the facts.

Challenging the clearance given by the ministry and Doordarshan,
the petitioner said it was mandatory for them to strictly adhere to
the guidelines as laid down under Section 5B of the Act and because
of the non-observance of the procedure it has resulted in a serious
error, jeopardising the valuable fundamental rights of the
petitioner as envisaged under the Constitution.

Section 5B stipulates that a film shall not be certified for
public exhibition if, in the opinion of the authority competent to
grant the certificate, the film or any part of it was against the
interest of the security of the state, friendly relations with
foreign states, public order, decency or morality or involves
defamation or contempt of court or is likely to incite the
commission of any offence.

The society had urged the court to revoke and suspend the
certificate granted to the producer and the director of the movie to
prevent them from going ahead with public screening.

Shukla had sought a direction to the ministry for exercising
its revisional powers as contained under Section 6 of the Act to
revise the decision of the Censor Board and also that the movie
should be subjected to the re-examination by the Censor Board before
its release.

He alleged that the director and producer of the movie had not
done any investigation or research work on the life of Swami Vivekananda, picturised the whole movie based on premises and conjectures and a substantial portion of the movie was speculative.

The contents of the movie have greatly and immensly offended the
faith and pious sentiments of Swami Vivekananda's followers or devotees, counsel for the society said.